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Introduction

Humans share more characteristics with the apes than with any other living organisms, and that may explain people’s fascination with these animals. Both apes and humans are members of the order Primates, which also includes the monkeys and the prosimians. The apes are usually divided into two subgroups: the lesser apes—gibbons—and the great apes—orangutans, chimpanzees, and gorillas. These animals share many characteristics, but each is quite distinctive in appearance and lifestyle. From the acrobatic gibbon to the resourceful chimpanzee, and from the solitary orangutan to the family-oriented gorilla, the apes are a diverse and intriguing lot.

Classification of the apes at the family level has long been a source of scientific debate. Apes are often referred to as hominids or anthropoids, meaning humanlike. Some authorities once placed all of the apes, including humans, into a single family, Hominidae, which was grouped with the monkeys in the suborder Anthropoidea. However, the gibbons are now placed in a separate family, Hylobatidae. The family Hominidae is restricted to humans and their immediate, extinct ancestors. Together, the Hominidae and Hylobatidae constitute the superfamily Hominoidea and are therefore often referred to as hominoids.

It is known that apes and monkeys shared a common ancestor before they diverged into separate lineages. However, the paucity of ape fossils continues to frustrate anthropologists, many of whom believe that more fossil evidence would help to resolve the debates about the hominoid family tree.

Researchers have been able to use what little fossil evidence does exist, along with genetic evidence, to illuminate the relationships between apes and to determine when each group diverged from their common branch on the hominoid family tree. Fossil analysis has indicated that the gibbons were the first to diverge from the common lineage, doing so at least 18 million years ago. Orangutans diverged from the lineage around 16 million years ago, and the African great apes split some time between 5 and 8 million years ago. Genetic evidence supports this order of divergence. DNA analysis has determined that chimpanzees are the closest biological relatives to humans: chimpanzees and humans share more than 98 percent of their genes.

All hominoids share several key characteristics that distinguish them from other primates. The visual cortex in the hominoid brain is enlarged, confirming that they rely heavily on their sense of vision. Accordingly, they also share a less developed sense of smell than the prosimians. Hominoids lack tails and have a more upright posture than other primates. The great apes stand erect on occasion, and gibbons frequently walk upright, using their long arms for balance. However, humans are the only hominoids who are truly bipedal, meaning that they move only on their rear legs. Hominoids have opposable thumbs, which enable them to grasp and hold objects in their hands. The apes have opposable toes as well, an adaptation that aids in climbing and grasping. All hominoids have fingers and toes with flattened nails instead of claws.

The reproductive biology and behavior of apes show close similarities to those of humans. Females undergo menstruation at monthly intervals, and gestation periods range from approximately seven to nine months. Young are usually born singly, though twins have been reported rarely in some species. Apes have fewer young than other primates, allowing for an extended period of maternal care for each highly dependent infant.

The future of the great and lesser apes in the wild is bleak. The status of all wild ape populations ranges from vulnerable to critically endangered. Experts estimately that only 300 mature mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) remained in the wild in the early 21st century. Many ape populations, already threatened by habitat destruction resulting from such human activities as logging and agriculture, have been further depleted by hunting. In Africa, gorillas and chimpanzees are prized for their meat. In addition, infant apes bring a high price in the illegal pet trade.

Gibbons

Gibbons belong to the family Hylobatidae, also known as the lesser apes. Of slight build and usually less than 36 inches (91 centimeters) tall, gibbons have exceptionally long arms, which they use to swing from tree limbs and vines in the dense forests in which they live.

The gibbon family includes 19 species in four genera.The genus Hylobates consists of nine species that inhabit the Southeast Asian mainland and islands. Southeast Asia is home also to the genus Nomascus, which includes seven species. The genus Hoolock has two species, which live in the forests of the Indian subcontinent, Myanmar (Burma), and parts of China.

Mark Pellegrini

The most distinctive of the gibbons is the siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) , the sole member of the fourth gibbon genus. Reaching as much as 36 inches (91 centimeters) in height, siamangs are the largest of the gibbons and are distinguished by a large gray or pink sac located under the chin. When inflated, this sac amplifies the loud, resonant vocalizations used in courtship and territorial defense.

Orangutans

Orangutans are the only living Asian great ape, inhabiting lowland rainforests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The orangutans are divided into two species: Pongo abelii, the Sumatran orangutan; and Pongo pygmaeus, the Bornean orangutan. The latter species is further divided into several subspecies. Sometimes called the red ape because of its long, reddish brown coat, or pelage, the orangutan is the largest arboreal, or tree-dwelling, animal in the world. Unlike the other apes, orangutans are by nature solitary, usually traveling alone or in small groups.

Chimpanzees and Bonobos

The closest living relatives to humans, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are the most familiar of the apes because of their prevalence in zoos, their use in movies, and their extraordinary personalities. They have the most extensive geographic range of any of the apes, inhabiting the rainforests of more than a dozen countries of western and central equatorial Africa. Chimpanzees spend most of their time on the ground and normally travel in groups. The bonobo (Pan paniscus), or pygmy chimpanzee, was considered a subspecies of the chimpanzee until 1933, when it was recognized as a distinct species. Despite its common name, the bonobo is about the same size as the chimpanzee. The two species share many other physical and behavioral characteristics as well.

Gorillas

The largest and, paradoxically, most gentle of the apes are the gorillas. These apes, which can weigh as much as 600 pounds (270 kilograms), were unknown until the mid-1800s. Gorillas have sometimes been portrayed as vicious and aggressive villains in innumerable fictional tales, a completely unrealistic representation of their generally peaceful character. They are almost exclusively herbivorous, or plant-eating, in the wild and lead a predominantly terrestrial life. Gorillas live only in the tropical forests of equatorial Africa separated by the Congo River and its tributaries. There are two gorilla species—the western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), which lives on the western side of the Congo, and the eastern gorilla, G. beringei, which lives in areas to the east of the river. Each species is further divided into two subspecies.

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